Led 0→1 Design of a Centralized Identity & Access Platform for NASA Geoscientists
my role
UX Lead — Interview, Synthesis, Ideation, Iteration, Presentation
Team
2 Designers
2 PM (NASA, GT)
5 NASA teams
Time
6 weeks, 2024
Tool
Figma
Status
Beta
Impact
Data was collected from user testing and early implementation
~50%
Reduced setup time
100%
Positive feedback
2000+
Scientists benefited
Background
VEDA is NASA’s open-source platform for exploring and analyzing Earth science data. It's being used by NASA geoscientists and researchers worldwide.
Applications
Publications
challenges - Users
The onboarding and access setup process is complex and inconsistent across VEDA applications.
"Each team has its own setup method—it’s hard to know where to start, especially for new admins."
“We’re adding users by hand through emails. It works, but it doesn’t scale.”
“We’re adding users by hand through emails. It works, but it doesn’t scale.”
challenges - BUSINESS
Leadership recognized that without a unified authentication system, NASA’s vision for scalable, cloud-based science would be difficult to achieve.
solution
MVP of a centralized auth platform that streamlined setup, unified workflows across teams, and enabled scalable user and app management.
Process Highlights
Pain Point 01
Simplifying Application Configuration for Multiple Teams
Now, Each team sets up app access manually using scripts or notebooks—leading to inconsistent workflows and setup errors.
iteration 01
Pressure test with five teams
Flow is correct
Need more configuration sessions
iteration 02
Define technical structure
Break the setup into clear sessions
Align terminology across teams to reduce confusion
Final design
A template-based setup to streamline application creation and role definition
Pain Point 02
Designing a Scalable Group Management System
Users often work across multiple apps but need different access in each. No shared “group” model existed to manage this complexity.
Options
I explored three permission models with teams, PMs and devs
Easy for admins to manage
Limited flexibility for app teams
Each app manages its own groups
Gives each app team full control
No shared group for collaboration
Balances control with flexibility
Can grow unnecessarily cluttered
Final design
We landed on global groups with per-app roles for simplicity. Future plans include auto-assigning users to groups for easy scalability.
Pain Point 03
Enabling Quick, Temporary Access for External Users
During conferences or workshops, it was difficult to share access—admins had to grant/remove access manually for each guest.
User needs
Invite external collaborators quickly and revoke access easily
Business needs
Expand adoption and reduce friction in outreach use cases
Final design
Shareable group links with permission controls for easy access sharing.
My learnings
#1 Navigating a Complex Problem Space
Understanding a complex technical system requires more than desk research, it means learning the tech and getting close to the users. I used early wireframes to pressure-test ideas and uncover key workflow insights, helping me learn quickly while shaping the design iteratively.
#2 Designing for Now and What Comes Next
Even while working on an MVP, I learned to think long term—balancing immediate needs with scalable foundations. Collaborating with PM to map out future scenarios helped us prioritize smartly and design a system that’s ready to grow.
#3 Ask the Obvious Questions
At first, I hesitated to ask “basic” questions—but one of those ended up sparking the most important conversation in the project. My question about platform choices and whether we needed to build everything ourselves led to a productive debate across the team, and ultimately, a more focused and realistic solution.
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